Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens Page B

keep control o f her wildly swaying emotions . She wanted to sob over the events that kept throwing her life into a fierce tailspin. That kept knocking her off balance and taking things from her. She wanted to sob for the joy and electricity that still sizzled through her, making her feel whole and alive in a way that she never had before. She wanted to sob in order to purify her spirit of the turmoil that plagued it.
       She did not know what was going on, but she wanted it to stop. She w anted it to end and for him to go away so that she could feel normal ag ain. “Are you ok?”
       She glanced up at one of the smok ing girls now hover ing by her elbow, worry marr ed her delicate forehead. Her hazel eyes were flecked with streaks of gold, and surprisingly caring for a stranger. “I’m fine,” Cassie answered shakily.
       The girl gave her a worried frown as she handed her a wad of paper towels. “Are you sure? ”
       Cassie’s hands shook as she took the towels from the younger girl, slightly ashamed to realize that she didn ’ t know her name. “Yes. I’m Cassie. ”
       “I know. ” The girl smiled as she nodded swiftly . H er short brown hair, streaked with shades of green , bobbed around her shoulders. “ Danielle , but my friends call me Dani .”
       Smiling tremulously, Cassie’s hands tightened briefly around the crumpled towels. “Nice to meet you Dani , thank you.”
       A small smile flitt ed across t he girl’s pretty face before she retreat ed back to her hazy corner. Drying her face slowly, Cassie glanced only briefly at her reflection. She already knew that she was a mess , but her frantic, bloodshot eyes were a bit of a shock . She looked half crazed, and it was not a good look on her. There was nothing she could do about he r eyes though , she had no eye drops, and she wasn’t even sure they would help right now. She didn’t think anything could help her now.
       Taking a deep breath , she retrieved the backpack she had dumped hastil y on the floor. The hall was almost deserted when she poked her head out of the bathroom. She was still shaky and distraught, but at least she didn ’ t feel like she was on the brink of tears anymore . Making her way slowly down the hall, she slipp ed quietly into her history class. People shot her questioning looks as she made her way to her desk, but thankfully no one stopped her .
       Sitting a t her desk, Cassie dropped her head in her hands . She forced herself to remain seated and not to get up and leave class , and school. Though it was a tempting thought, she knew s he could not run forever, and apparently he was going to be in her life from now on . O r at least in her school . She would have to find another way to deal with the situation other than running .
       S he felt that avoidance would be best.
     
    ***
     
       Devon searched the cafeteria as he made his way swiftly through the thick crowd, Melissa led the way. “No matter what, bring your own lunch on Thursdays , the spaghetti is awful,” she was telling him in between the vast amount of hello’s she received, and returned . “I just bring my own lunch anyway as they have nothing healthy here , except for apples.”
       He turned his attention back to her as she stopped before him, her dark eyes searching his face. She was a nice girl, but the intense way she studied him was more than a little unsettl ing . He had the strange feeling that she saw more of him than he wanted her to. Her head tilted , her exotically slanted eyes narrow ed as a small smile flitted over her full mouth .
       “Thanks for the warning.”
       She grinned as she shrugged a dainty shoulder, and ma de her way back through the crowd. “The senior s sit in the back of the cafeteria, when it’s not nice enough to sit outside.”
       Devon hardly paid attention to her as his eyes returned to the mob of students. He could sense her somewhere amongst the crowd; smell the wonderful aroma